Troubles
by Crazed Maniac 02
Summary: Shadow is haunted by his memories. Who will be there to comfort him? Songfic! RR pleez!


Hey y'all! This is songfic #2 for me! It came in my head this morning while I was on the bus listening to Alicia Keys. The song "Troubles" belongs to her and the other peeps that helped create it! I maybe switched one word in it, but half of ya probly won't recognize the song anyway! Shadow and Maria belong to Sega or the Sonic Team or whatever, so DON'T SUE ME! @_@ I'm doing this for the sake of creativity and great characters! I'm an ultimate Shadow fan, therefore I thought of him when I listened to this song! I'ma stop rambling and let you read this! Enjoy!! ^_^  
  
Troubles  
  
By CM02  
  
The space colony ARK was in its usual state of peacefulness, floating carelessly light years away from Earth's atmosphere, until that fateful day when G.U.N. invaded the premises. Shadow was absent-mindedly looking out the transparent glass when he heard a faint sound coming from miles away. He ignored it and got back to spacing out, until the sound became louder by the second. A big black space ship caught his attention as it came closer to the colony. Before he could do anything, a hand grabbed his from behind and dragged him down the hallway.  
  
He looked up at his captor, revealing his one and only friend, Maria Robotnik. Her once relaxed blue eyes were now full of pure terror. She went from walking to running in a few seconds, now urging him to run with her.  
  
"Maria, what-" Shadow started to question until he heard a booming voice from behind him.  
  
"Target spotted."  
  
Shadow looked back to see five men in black chasing them. He cooperated with her and soon enough, he started running for his life, with Maria by his side. The men were constantly shouting at them to stop, but they didn't obey as they began to approach the main control room.  
  
His vision was starting to grow hazy as the focus on the door was beginning to fade. It seemed like they were running forever. He didn't know what was going on, but he made sure that the guards were nowhere near them.  
  
He felt the decrease in Maria's energy as she slightly slowed in his grasp. He kept a firm grip and begged her silently to carry on. He could hear her labor as they approached the door.  
  
She quickly put in the security code, with the door opening consequently. In a split second, the door was closed with Shadow and Maria inside. She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply.  
Shadow couldn't take this. He had to know what was going on. "Maria, what's wrong?" he asked as calmly as possible.  
  
Maria took a second to catch her breath before speaking. "Shadow, we're-" She was interrupted by constant banging on the door. The wall she was leaning against vibrated with the force and she backed away from it quickly and rushed to the controls. "Shadow, stand right there." she commanded while pointing to the middle of the room. A white circular platform emerged from the floor. He looked at it blankly.  
  
"SHADOW!!" she yelled, trying to get his attention. He obeyed with no questions. As he stepped onto the platform, he saw a faint white gas emit from the cracks in the door. His eyes widened in alarm and worry for Maria's sake. He saw her push a few buttons, saving his life in the process.  
  
"MARIA!!" he cried as he saw the gas slowly taking away her life.  
  
Words came from her mouth, but he could barely hear her. He saw her body slump over the control panel as he was trapped in the capsule.  
  
"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog." she whispered before the capsule was out of sight and taking her last breath of life.  
  
A bright light emitted from the capsule as it blinded him...  
  
***  
  
Shadow jolted awake as the memories plagued his mind. He sat up, looking around at the darkness of his room. It reminded him of his fifty years of torture, captured in his frozen semi-grave. His breath quickened at the thought and he jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. Before going out the door, he checked the clock, which read 2:02 a.m.  
  
The night comforted him in many ways, but it wasn't working as he walked the empty streets of Station Square. His scarlet eyes slowly got used to the darkness surrounding him as his footsteps echoed through the city.  
  
A feeling of fear washed over him as he heard the slightest sound. It grew louder and closer. He looked back, seeing nothing in his line of sight. Using his best instincts, he ran for his life. It wasn't long before his shoes hovered inches off the ground, causing him to glide swiftly.  
  
Gliding usually relaxed him, but tonight was the most bizarre of nights. As trees, houses, and mailboxes passed, so did his memories of Maria's death. It pained him to see his only friend die like that. He shook his head madly, trying to get the thoughts out of his head. It did nothing but give him a terrible headache.  
  
His mind raced as his thoughts did the same when he approached the main part of the city, where the stores and festivities resided. He passed by them in a rush, now planning his destination. He didn't care where he went, as long as it helped him get over everything.  
  
He saw the bridge in the distance, and rushed to it. He stopped at the edge to catch his breath and recollect himself. His eyes darted toward the lake, purple in the night's glow. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his inner soul. All he saw inside was the torment and pain he went through.  
  
He opened his eyes reluctantly to see the night sky. The stars shined with hope as he stared at them. That was all he would do on the space colony besides getting tested on. He would forget everything.  
  
"Maria.."  
  
He sighed sadly at the lost of his friend. It tortured him every single night, forgetting the last time he had a peaceful night's sleep. A depressing piano melody began playing in his head.  
  
"Dear Lord can you take it away?" he begged. "This pain in my heart that follows me by day..And at night stalks me like the shadows on my wall.." He heard the beautiful voice in his head and he began to sing with it.  
  
"Feels like the world is closin' on me/Feels like my dreams will never come to me/I keep on slippin' deeper into myself/And I'm scared...so scared.."  
  
The chorus played in his head, but he didn't dare sing it. He sighed and closed his eyes again. He heard a familiar voice fill in the spaces for him. She sang sweetly to him, like the mother he never had.  
  
"If you're troubled..you just gotta let it go.."  
  
He was used to hearing voices in his head, so he just responded by a small cry. "Why.." Before he continued, the voice continued singing.  
  
"If you're worried baby, you just gotta let it go..All your torture and pain for nothin', you just gotta take it slow..When you need me baby, all you do is let me know.."  
  
He shook his head sadly. He knew that he would never get over this. It haunted him like hell and it ruined his chances of ever living normal again. The second verse came to him instantly. "Why does it feel that my mind is constantly trying.to pull me down/I can't seem to get away/Continuous mistakes I know I'm able for/How long will I feel so out of place."  
  
The stars no longer excited him anymore. They reminded him of too many happy memories that could never be relived again.  
  
"If you're troubled.you just gotta let it go."  
  
He couldn't let go, no matter how hard he tried. He didn't want to hear her voice anymore, so he tried to shut her out of his mind. A tear fell from his eye as she continued to sing.  
  
"If you're worried baby..you just gotta let it go."  
  
Then he saw her. Out of the stars, she appeared before him in a white dress. Her blonde hair played in the wind, and her baby blue eyes glowed with beauty. She grew closer to him as she sang. "All your torture and pain for nothin'..you just gotta take it slow.."  
  
He couldn't believe was he was seeing. He blinked a few times to see if he was dreaming, but apparently he wasn't. As she grew closer, a chill fell over him. It was colder than any ice chamber could've been. A hand touched his cheek, and he shivered on contact.  
  
"When you need me baby...all you do is let me know."  
  
The piano music continued to play in his head as she touched him. "Wait, how is this possible? She died." he thought.  
  
"If you're troubled..you got to let it goooo.." she sung as one hand grazed his cheek, with the other enclosed in his hand.  
  
He turned away from her. "I.can't." he said crushed.  
  
"Don't you worry..don't you worry, no-no.." she begged.  
  
Tears fell as he accepted this so-called "dream" as reality. He could feel the hot tears roll down his black and red fur.  
  
She took an ice-cold finger and brushed his new tears away. "Yoooou've got to let it go.."  
  
"I can't!" he repeated as he slumped down into the ground. His knees scraped against the pavement and blood rushed to the open cuts. The sting made the tears fall even faster.  
  
"All your trouble..all your trouble.." she sung, moving to his side. She gently clutched his chin, making him look into her blue orbs of promise. "Oh, are you worried?" she sung again.  
  
"Yes." he whispered while looking into her eyes.  
  
She barely heard him. "Are you worried?" she repeated.  
  
"YES!!" he shouted. He inhaled sharply from the pain in his legs. His chest heaved with his labored breathing.  
  
"You just gotta let it gooooo.." she begged.  
  
He refused to listen to her. She was just making it worse.  
  
"Don't you worry, cause I will run and I will run.." Her singing became loud enough to pound at his ears. "Don't you worry.."  
  
He was too tired to speak and accepted her pleas.  
  
"'Cause will ruuuun..Ooooooooooh.."  
  
He joined her at the last line. "Allll the torture and pain for nothin'." He stopped and let her sing the rest.  
  
"You just gotta take it slow..When you need me baby, all you do is let me know."  
  
It felt nice to see her again. Her voice finally calmed him and he could confidently look at her without the past pain or burden.  
  
"Ooooooohhhhhh..'Cause I will run to you.Yooouuuu, you don't hafta worry.." She gave him a light kiss on the cheek before leaving him, taking her spirit back to where she came from. "Baby."  
  
He watched her until she disappeared completely. He gave a small smile at the comfort she always gave him. He knew it would take days, but he would try the best he could to relieve the pain by her words.  
  
***  
  
Didya like? R/R pleez! I LOVE reviews! I'm out!! 


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